PENETRATOR -

Members

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History

Reviews

PENETRATOR - same - SONIC AGE
Canada's Penetrator sure knows how to kick off an album. The song Unleash The Fury, which was the title track for the band's demo, launches the demo with a bang. The song is a mixture of early Queensrÿche, Manilla Road and Liege Lord believe it or not. The sharp guitar sound and anthemic singing bring the best of '80s to mind. What a surprise to hear the vocals and real heavy metal and then find out this is a band which was formed recently in Toronto. Not that the members are a bunch of youngsters. Guitarist Bulldog Bess Ross assert that he used to be Tony Iommi's guitar technician during the Never Say Die tour and has written for Anvil in the early days!
Nonetheless, the rest of the album is not quite as consistently good or unfailing. The band has plenty of heavy melodies, swirling riffs and an energetic delivery, yet most of the rest of the material is basically heavy rock. From the next track, called Spread The Mind, and on a distinct Black Sabbath influence creeps in. This is in addition to the distinct and venerable patented heavy rock wailing guitars. The aforementioned song has some impressive singing. Then Muso In A Bottle arrives and the listener has to digest a jazzy ditty featuring rowdy guitar outbursts! The song even betrays influences from The Doors. Elsewhere, more silliness occurs like absurd singing which comes across as the shrill version of Halford.
These weak moments are the price one apparently has to pay for gaining music that can otherwise be hard rocking, occasionally doomy, containing great metal riffing and serious soloing. - Ali "The Metallian"